Sandman Movie Rumors Squashed

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Creator Gaiman rubs the sand out of his eyes -- again.

By IGN Staff

File this one under "Rumor Patrol." Earlier this week a rumor began to spread online that DC Comic's beloved series Sandman -- one of those rare comic books that managed to elevate the form above its pulp origins -- might become a movie. And not just that, but a movie from reviled Batman & Robin director Joel Schumacher. Upon hearing this "news," millions of fans suddenly cried out in terror, and then were suddenly silenced.

The thing is, there was nothing to this so-called news report from IESB.net at all, and that's why IGN didn't report on it. If we did publish every rumor or offhanded mention about a would-be genre project, there'd be no way to differentiate fact from fiction. Basically, IESB was at a press event that Schumacher attended, and they asked the director if there was a comic book movie he'd like to take on. His answer was Sandman, but, you know, IGN's old Grandma could say she wants to direct a Thor movie, but that doesn't mean that's going to happen either.

And now, Neil Gaiman, the creator of Sandman himself, has posted a bit about IESB's "scoop" on his blog. Bear witness:

"I remember about eight years ago the then Warner Brothers co-studio head Billy Gerber told me that he got weekly calls from people who wanted to make, direct, or star in a Sandman film. 'On Wednesday,' he said, 'Michael Jackson called about it.' Given the comments some months ago from Alan Horn and Jeff Rubinoff, who now run Warner Brothers, I don't believe the calls from people who want to make Sandman have decreased in the last eight years -- quite the reverse. Which I mention because I got a small deluge of letters from people asking me what I thought about Joel Schumacher saying in an interview that he'd love to direct a Sandman film and wondering if that meant that it was now about to happen, and of course it doesn't and it isn't. It simply puts Mr. Schumacher in a very long line of people who want to make Sandman, some way ahead of Michael Jackson."